Doctor whew

I usually subscribe to the idea that something will not turn out quite as bad as you anticipate. That didn't happen with a bucket of paint I mixed for the bathroom, it was too egg yolk coloured and required another two attempts to mix in white emulsion to obtain a shade we could live with, but it did happen at the visit to the Doctor.

There was a minor, but nonetheless amusing, farce as he jumped to the natural conclusion that a woman had entered his office. I stifled a smile whilst savouring the potential impact that telling him that he had a new trans patient might have. You will read everywhere that honesty with your "gatekeepers" is a virtue though so I went ahead in that spirit. He got off to a good start with sensible diagnostic questions. So far so good but later it began to look to me like he actually knew more about it than he had initially  let on. One might say that once he had got started everything dimly remembered suddenly came back with clarity. You could also surmise that he held back either to give me some control over the proceedings or to find out how much I knew about the condition and procedure for NHS assistance (or both).

I suppose this is how it must go, the doctor is in the position of having a duty to make an initial diagnosis, he or she must present key diagnostic questions while avoiding making the patient feel under a spotlight, the patient's response places a tick in the boxes and all spontaneity is lost. Patient and doctor knowingly colluding in an orchestrated game of bat and ball. I'll say this for him though he has a sense of humour and I felt he genuinely was talking to me as another bloke. That is an unexpectedly pleasant event. Oh yeah, ooops rambling, the news, he's referred me to a psychotherapist for the interim and is satisfied that I should go on to Charing Cross (CX). Whew!

So, apart from some research I need to complete to clear my desk, all we have to do now is enjoy the Winter Solstice to mark the fact that from that point in the year the days begin to lengthen, have a bit of calm before Xmas day, make sure the path isn't icy, we don't want our local choir slipping and breaking hips when they come round carol singing, and not overdo the being merry!